Interview

You might think the Grand Gaga, with this blonde chanteuse staring back at you, but this is no pop starlet parading around in odd outfits, this is a woman dedicated to song creation. Veering from house and ambient electronic synths ping-ponging back on forth on “The Hunted,” to the glittery vogue sounds of “Trusted Pink Bow,” that sounds as if it is the orchestration to a fashion show in space. So while Asmodelle isn’t creating complex or auditory challenging ambient electronica meanderings, she is creating wholly listenable mixes and beats for the club, midnight car rides, or a trip into neon outer space.

Cody Blevins

What’s the band’s name meaning?

Well the name I go by is ASMODELLE, and it’s an easy one for it’s simply my last name. But having said that, my last name means ‘angel of rain’ or ‘angel of the 4th month’ and that’s apt as I was born in April and absolutely love the rain, so long as I don’t get wet!

How did you guys started with the band?

I am a solo act and when I was working as a model in Japan in the 90s I went to a couple of electronica gigs and really liked the vibe and feel of what was then Japanese pop electronica. I had been classically trained on the piano as a child but had left it behind since leaving school, but this sudden interest for electronica and the sound of 90s synths ignited a passion that has only grown today. While in Japan, pretty much what money I made modelling was put into buying lots of, then state of the art, synths and playing around with them. Then when I returned to Australia, I had the gear shipped back and have been an avid composer ever since!

What’s the message to transmit with your music??

I like music to be fun. To me, these days many musicians take too serious an attitude to their work, probably because there is a commercial aspect to it and making a living is a serious matter these days. But to me music should be good fun, and composing and playing music should reflect that. I’d even go a little further and think a composer must be a mischief maker, embroiled in creating entertainment that assumes and takes people outside themselves.

I prefer lower tempo electronics so that’s it’s fun and relaxing, chill-out listening. Anything between: 100 to 130 Beats per minutes, while over that listening can be hard work.

I don’t want to formulise my music into something that over time loses any individuality – I want to keep it fresh and fun. That is why I have called my first commercial release ELECTRONIC MISCHIEF and I am the chief mischief maker!

What’s your method at the time of writing a song??

Perhaps because of my classical background, I find it really easy to improvise music. I guess that pretty much what everyone does at some level – but I don’t write the music down, I simply play it in its entirety and only after having performed the whole piece in a complete form the way I like it, will I write down music and technical aspects as to what synth sounds I used and production notes for later use.

Which is your music influences??

Oh gosh that is a big question! So many music influences. Before I became an electronic music composer, I was a collector of music, searching out as many new sounds as I could find, so there are literally thousands of influences but I will try to distil the main one into a short list here: Brian Eno, Aphex Twin, Underworld, Harold Budd, Leftfield, Autechre, Thievery Corporation, Faithless, The Chemical Brothers, Groove Armada, Portishead, Air, Vangelis, Orbital, The Orb, Kraftwerk, Boards of Canada, Depeche Mode, Moby, Jean Michel Jarre, New Order, Daft Punk, Morcheeba, Massive Attack, Tangerine Dream, Coldplay, Klaus Schulze, Zero 7, and also many minimal Beatport Artists, early Euphoria Dance collections and Gatecrasher collections and some later Ministry of Sound collections.

What plans do you have for the future??

Well I released my first commercial album late last years, ELECTRONIC MISCHIEF. And since that time I’ve been working in the studio, with a new album coming out in a couple of week entitled, ELECTRIX, and other material is also ready for a 3rd entitled, TRANSELECTRIX, which is more of a dance album, slightly up tempo. So those two albums are a huge amount of work which is coming to fruition. Additionally, I been working on a different project concurrently, it’s a double dark ambient album, very subtle and very mysterious, entitled: DARK UNIVERSE – it’s a soundscape of what the universe sounds like from an astronomical perspective. The project was inspired by the 2009 the International Year of Astronomy – and should come out later 2010.

There is a film soundtrack that I’ve been asked to do later this year, as I’ve done about 3 now, and so that is pretty exciting – it’s an independent film, entitled: BUSH WALKER.

There is a talk of gigs with a new label, SAVVY MUZIK, here in Australia, but I’m so busy right now, I’m not committing to anything else until ELECTRIX and TRANSELECTRIX hit the stores. There will be physical distribution as well as digital.

Which has been the funniest prank you have been or took part while on tour or after a show??

Well I would have to say it was while performing: fully nude on stage – it really was a big hit, yet I’m not sure if I’d do it anymore!

If you guys were stranded in the middle of nowhere after a show or while on tour. The help is 65 miles away from where you guys are, ¿Who would you guys send to look for help? And if while the rest wait, there’s no food and the only way to feed yourself is by eating each other, ¿Who would you eat first?

Well, as I am a one person act, there is only one person I’d send for help – and that’s my sister and assistant Belinda, she will pretty much go anywhere and do anything for me! In terms of who I eat first, being a vegetarian, that pretty much means I would starve to death! Could write a song about it though!

Which country you guys would love to play?

Japan or Germany. Japan as I got my start there and Germany for their love of electronic music.

I’m really excited with the direction things are going – it’s been a great year and the response to my first album has been overwhelming and I look forward to releasing the new albums, and performing at gigs in 2010!